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Leite LAR, Agostinho BN, Oliveira SLP, Pedreira Filho WDR, de Azevedo RK, Abdallah VD. Trace metal accumulation is infrapopulation-dependent in acanthocephalans parasites of the white mullet (Mugil curema) from an estuarine environment of southeastern Brazil coast. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 194:115374. [PMID: 37552925 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Revised: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/01/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023]
Abstract
Here, in an estuarine canal in southeast Brazil, we evaluated the potential for trace metal accumulation of the acanthocephalan parasite Floridosentis mugilis, which infects the fish host Mugil curema. The quantities of the trace metals were quantified using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), which was used to analyze samples of the fish's muscle, intestine, and liver as well as the parasites. The parasites and the host's tissues had significantly different trace metal concentrations, according to our data. Furthermore, some metals have quite high bioconcentration factors, including Al, Cr, Ni, and Cd. We also found that the trace metal concentrations in the parasites were impacted by the sizes of the parasitic infrapopulations, with smaller infrapopulations tending to accumulate more metals. This study shows this acanthocephalan species' effective ability to store metals and is the first to investigate metal accumulation using it as a model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Aparecido Rosa Leite
- Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Setor de Parasitologia e Patologia, Maceió, Brazil.
| | - Beatriz Narciso Agostinho
- Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho" (UNESP), Instituto de Biociências, Departamento de Parasitologia, Botucatu, Brazil
| | - Sarah Letícia Paiva Oliveira
- Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Setor de Parasitologia e Patologia, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Walter Dos Reis Pedreira Filho
- Fundação Jorge Duprat Figueiredo de Segurança e Medicina do Trabalho (FUNDACENTRO), Centro Técnico Nacional (CTN), Divisão de Agentes Químicos (DQi), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Vanessa Doro Abdallah
- Universidade Federal de Alagoas (UFAL), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde, Setor de Parasitologia e Patologia, Maceió, Brazil
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Schmidt H, Mauer K, Hankeln T, Herlyn H. Host-dependent impairment of parasite development and reproduction in the acanthocephalan model. Cell Biosci 2022; 12:75. [PMID: 35642000 PMCID: PMC9153150 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-022-00818-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A central question in parasitology is why parasites mature and reproduce in some host species but not in others. Yet, a better understanding of the inability of parasites to complete their life cycles in less suitable hosts may hold clues for their control. To shed light on the molecular basis of parasite (non-)maturation, we analyzed transcriptomes of thorny-headed worms (Acanthocephala: Pomphorhynchus laevis), and compared developmentally arrested worms excised from European eel (Anguilla anguilla) to developmentally unrestricted worms from barbel (Barbus barbus). RESULTS Based on 20 RNA-Seq datasets, we demonstrate that transcriptomic profiles are more similar between P. laevis males and females from eel than between their counterparts from barbel. Impairment of sexual phenotype development was reflected in gene ontology enrichment analyses of genes having differential transcript abundances. Genes having reproduction- and energy-related annotations were found to be affected by parasitizing either eel or barbel. According to this, the molecular machinery of male and female acanthocephalans from the eel is less tailored to reproduction and more to coping with the less suitable environment provided by this host. The pattern was reversed in their counterparts from the definitive host, barbel. CONCLUSIONS Comparative analysis of transcriptomes of developmentally arrested and reproducing parasites elucidates the challenges parasites encounter in hosts which are unsuitable for maturation and reproduction. By studying a gonochoric species, we were also able to highlight sex-specific traits. In fact, transcriptomic evidence for energy shortage in female acanthocephalans associates with their larger body size. Thus, energy metabolism and glycolysis should be promising targets for the treatment of acanthocephaliasis. Although inherently enabling a higher resolution in heterosexuals, the comparison of parasites from definitive hosts and less suitable hosts, in which the parasites merely survive, should be applicable to hermaphroditic helminths. This may open new perspectives in the control of other helminth pathogens of humans and livestock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanno Schmidt
- Anthropology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Katharina Mauer
- Anthropology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Thomas Hankeln
- Molecular Genetics and Genomic Analysis, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Holger Herlyn
- Anthropology, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany.
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Gonçalves MDS, da Costa OTF, Morey GAM, Dias LC, Chagas EC, Porto SMDA. Embryonic development of eggs and stereological analysis of body of Neoechinorhynchus buttnerae (Golvan, 1956) (Eoacanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchidae). Parasitology 2022; 149:181-192. [PMID: 35234598 PMCID: PMC11010468 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182021001712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
The egg is one of the fundamental parts of the life cycle of Neoechinorhynchus buttnerae, and this stage involves the acanthor larva. It is also the infection phase for the intermediate host. Under normal conditions, the larva inside the egg can survive for months in the environment; however, information regarding this phase of life of the parasite is scarce. In addition, there is no quantitative information about the structural composition of the parasite's body from a histological point of view. Such information is essential in order to support decisions aimed at controlling infestations by these parasites in fish farming. This study aimed to present a detailed description of the stages of embryonic development of N. buttnerae eggs, as well as a stereological evaluation of the body of adult females of the parasite. Three phases of development characterized the eggs: cell division (with four stages), formation of the internal nuclear mass (with four stages) and formation of the acanthor larva (with five stages). The ovary comprised 26.61% of the volume of the animal and most of it contained eggs (21.28%), ovarian balls (3.88%) and empty spaces (1.45%). These results are of great importance and will support future studies that seek to interrupt the life cycle of this parasite.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayra da Silva Gonçalves
- Laboratório de Sanidade de Animais Aquáticos, Departamento de Ciências Pesqueiras, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Oscar Tadeu Ferreira da Costa
- Laboratório de Morfologia Quantitativa, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | | | - Lucas Castanhola Dias
- Laboratório Temático de Microscopia Ótica e Eletrônica, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | | | - Sanny Maria de Andrade Porto
- Laboratório de Sanidade de Animais Aquáticos, Departamento de Ciências Pesqueiras, Universidade Federal do Amazonas (UFAM), Manaus, AM, Brazil
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De Nardo AN, Roy J, Sbilordo SH, Lüpold S. Condition-dependent interaction between mating success and competitive fertilization success in Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution 2021; 75:2014-2026. [PMID: 33834478 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Dietary restriction during development can affect adult body size and condition. In many species, larger (high-condition) males gain higher mating success through male-male competition and female choice, and female condition can affect the extent of both female mate choice and male investment in courtship or ejaculates. However, few studies have examined the joint effects and interplay of male and female condition during both the pre- and the postcopulatory phases of sexual selection. We therefore manipulated the larval diet of male and female Drosophila melanogaster to study how body size variation in both sexes biases competitive outcomes at different reproductive stages, from mating to paternity. We did not find a difference in mate preference or mating latency between females of different conditions, nor any interaction between male and female conditions. However, large males were more successful in gaining matings, but only when in direct competition, whereas mating latencies were shorter for low-condition males in noncompetitive settings. Small males also transferred more sperm to nonvirgin females, displaced a larger proportion of resident sperm, and achieved higher paternity shares per mating than large males. In agreement with existing theory, we suggest that small males might partially compensate for their low mating success by strategically investing in larger sperm numbers and potentially other, unmeasured ejaculate traits, when they do have a mating opportunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessio N De Nardo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Jeannine Roy
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Sonja H Sbilordo
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, CH-8057, Switzerland
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Lüpold S, Simmons LW, Grueter CC. Sexual ornaments but not weapons trade off against testes size in primates. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20182542. [PMID: 30966988 PMCID: PMC6501695 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Males must partition their limited reproductive investments between traits that promote access to females (sexual ornaments and weapons) and traits that enhance fertilization success, such as testes and ejaculates. Recent studies show that if the most weaponized males can monopolize access to females through contest competition, thereby reducing the risk of sperm competition, they tend to invest less in sperm production. However, how males invest in sexual ornaments relative to sperm production remains less clear. If male ornaments serve as badges of status, with high-ranking males attaining near-exclusive access to females, similar to monopolizing females through combat, their expression should also covary negatively with investment in post-mating traits. In a comparative study across primates, which exhibit considerable diversification in sexual ornamentation, male weaponry and testes size, we found relative testes size to decrease with sexual ornaments but increase with canine size. These contrasting evolutionary trajectories might be driven by differential selection, functional constraints or temporal patterns of metabolic investment between the different types of sexual traits. Importantly, however, our results indicate that the theory of relative investments between weapons and testes in the context of monopolizing females can extend to male ornaments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Leigh W. Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - Cyril C. Grueter
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
- School of Human Sciences (M309), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia
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6
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Sexual size dimorphism and sex ratio in arthropod ectoparasites: contrasting patterns at different hierarchical scales. Int J Parasitol 2018; 48:969-978. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2018] [Revised: 05/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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7
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Csanády A, Stanko M, Mošanský L. Are differences in variation and allometry in testicular size of two sibling species of the genus Mus (Mammalia, Rodentia) caused by female promiscuity? MAMMAL RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s13364-018-0393-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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8
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Simmons LW, Lüpold S, Fitzpatrick JL. Evolutionary Trade-Off between Secondary Sexual Traits and Ejaculates. Trends Ecol Evol 2017; 32:964-976. [PMID: 29050795 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.09.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 107] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Recent theoretical models predict that the evolutionary diversification of the weapons and ornaments of pre-mating sexual selection should be influenced by trade-offs with male expenditure on ejaculates. However, the patterns of association between secondary sexual traits and ejaculate expenditure are frequently inconsistent in their support of this prediction. We show why consideration of additional life-history, ecological, and mating-system variables is crucial for the interpretation of associations between secondary sexual traits and ejaculate production. Incorporation of these 'missing variables' provides evidence that interactions between pre- and post-mating sexual selection can underlie broad patterns of diversification in male weapons and ornaments. We call for more experimental and genetic approaches to uncover trade-offs, as well as for studies that consider the costs of mate-searching.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences (M092), The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley 6009, Australia.
| | - Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - John L Fitzpatrick
- Department of Zoology and Ethology, Stockholm University, Svante Arrhenius väg 18B, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
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9
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Park T, Sparkes TC. Multidimensionality of Modification in an Isopod-Acanthocephalan System. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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10
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Lüpold S, Jin L, Liao WB. Population density and structure drive differential investment in pre- and postmating sexual traits in frogs. Evolution 2017; 71:1686-1699. [PMID: 28394412 DOI: 10.1111/evo.13246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/25/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Sexual selection theory predicts a trade-off between premating (ornaments and armaments) and postmating (testes and ejaculates) sexual traits, assuming that growing and maintaining these traits is costly and that total reproductive investments are limited. The number of males in competition, the reproductive gains from investing in premating sexual traits, and the level of sperm competition are all predicted to influence how males allocate their finite resources to these traits. Yet, empirical examination of these predictions is currently scarce. Here, we studied relative expenditure on pre- and postmating sexual traits among frog species varying in their population density, operational sex ratio, and the number of competing males for each clutch of eggs. We found that the intensifying struggle to monopolize fertilizations as more and more males clasp the same female to fertilize her eggs shifts male reproductive investment toward sperm production and away from male weaponry. This shift, which is mediated by population density and the associated level of male-male competition, likely also explains the trade-off between pre- and postmating sexual traits in our much broader sample of anuran species. Our results highlight the power of such a multilevel approach in resolving the evolution of traits and allocation trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Lüpold
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich-Irchel, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Long Jin
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, P. R. China
| | - Wen Bo Liao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, P. R. China
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11
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Mori E, Iacucci A, Castiglia R, Santini L. Sexual-size dimorphism in two synanthropic rat species: Comparison and eco-evolutionary perspectives. Mamm Biol 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2016.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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12
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Caddigan SC, Pfenning AC, Sparkes TC. Competitive growth, energy allocation, and host modification in the acanthocephalan Acanthocephalus dirus: field data. Parasitol Res 2016; 116:199-206. [DOI: 10.1007/s00436-016-5279-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 09/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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13
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Kahrl AF, Cox CL, Cox RM. Correlated evolution between targets of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection across squamate reptiles. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:6452-6459. [PMID: 27777721 PMCID: PMC5058519 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2016] [Revised: 06/28/2016] [Accepted: 06/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection reflects the joint contributions of precopulatory selection, which arises from variance in mating success, and postcopulatory selection, which arises from variance in fertilization success. The relative importance of each episode of selection is variable among species, and comparative evidence suggests that traits targeted by precopulatory selection often covary in expression with those targeted by postcopulatory selection when assessed across species, although the strength and direction of this association varies considerably among taxa. We tested for correlated evolution between targets of pre‐ and postcopulatory selection using data on sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and testis size from 151 species of squamate reptiles (120 lizards, 31 snakes). In squamates, male–male competition for mating opportunities often favors large body size, such that the degree of male‐biased SSD is associated with the intensity of precopulatory selection. Likewise, competition for fertilization often favors increased sperm production, such that testis size (relative to body size) is associated with the intensity of postcopulatory selection. Using both conventional and phylogenetically based analyses, we show that testis size consistently decreases as the degree of male‐biased SSD increases across lizards and snakes. This evolutionary pattern suggests that strong precopulatory selection may often constrain the opportunity for postcopulatory selection and that the relative importance of each selective episode may determine the optimal resolution of energy allocation trade‐offs between traits subject to each form of sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel F Kahrl
- Department of Biology University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia 22904
| | - Christian L Cox
- Department of Biology Georgia Southern University Statesboro Georgia 30460
| | - Robert M Cox
- Department of Biology University of Virginia Charlottesville Virginia 22904
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14
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Preik OA, Schneider JM, Uhl G, Michalik P. Transition from monogyny to polygyny inNephila senegalensis(Araneae: Nephilidae) is not accompanied by increased investment in sperm. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/bij.12863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Onno A. Preik
- University of Hamburg; Biozentrum Grindel; Zoological Institute; Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 D-20146 Hamburg Germany
| | - Jutta M. Schneider
- University of Hamburg; Biozentrum Grindel; Zoological Institute; Martin-Luther-King-Platz 3 D-20146 Hamburg Germany
| | - Gabriele Uhl
- University of Greifswald; Zoological Institute and Museum; General and Systematic Zoology; J.S.-Bach Straße 11-12 D-17489 Greifswald Germany
| | - Peter Michalik
- University of Greifswald; Zoological Institute and Museum; General and Systematic Zoology; J.S.-Bach Straße 11-12 D-17489 Greifswald Germany
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15
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Fisher DN, Rodríguez-Muñoz R, Tregenza T. Comparing pre- and post-copulatory mate competition using social network analysis in wild crickets. Behav Ecol 2016; 27:912-919. [PMID: 27174599 PMCID: PMC4863196 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In many animals, males compete for fertilizations both before and after mating. But do males specialize in 1 type of competition? And do physical fights between males lead to less competition between their ejaculates within females? We studied competitions between wild crickets by building networks of interactions. We found that males that had more fights were more likely to meet in sperm competition, suggesting that evolution will not favor specialists in one of the 2 types of competition. Twitter: @DFofFreedom Sexual selection results from variation in success at multiple stages in the mating process, including competition before and after mating. The relationship between these forms of competition, such as whether they trade-off or reinforce one another, influences the role of sexual selection in evolution. However, the relationship between these 2 forms of competition is rarely quantified in the wild. We used video cameras to observe competition among male field crickets and their matings in the wild. We characterized pre- and post-copulatory competition as 2 networks of competing individuals. Social network analysis then allowed us to determine 1) the effectiveness of precopulatory competition for avoiding postcopulatory competition, 2) the potential for divergent mating strategies, and 3) whether increased postcopulatory competition reduces the apparent reproductive benefits of male promiscuity. We found 1) limited effectiveness of precopulatory competition for avoiding postcopulatory competition; 2) males do not specifically engage in only 1 type of competition; and 3) promiscuous individuals tend to mate with each other, which will tend to reduce variance in reproductive success in the population and highlights the trade-off inherent in mate guarding. Our results provide novel insights into the works of sexual competition in the wild. Furthermore, our study demonstrates the utility of using network analyses to study competitive interactions, even in species lacking obvious social structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR109FE , UK
| | - Rolando Rodríguez-Muñoz
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR109FE , UK
| | - Tom Tregenza
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR109FE , UK
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Tuomainen A, Tellervo Valtonen E, Benesh DP. Sexual segregation of Echinorhynchus borealis von Linstow, 1901 (Acanthocephala) in the gut of burbot (Lota lota Linnaeus). Folia Parasitol (Praha) 2015; 62. [PMID: 26580557 DOI: 10.14411/fp.2015.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 09/22/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Helminths often occupy defined niches in the gut of their definitive hosts. In the dioecious acanthocephalans, adult males and females usually have similar gut distributions, but sexual site segregation has been reported in at least some species. We studied the intestinal distribution of the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus borealis von Linstow, 1901 (syn. of E. cinctulus Porta, 1905) in its definitive host, burbot (Lota lota Linnaeus). Over 80% of female worms were found in the pyloric caeca, whereas the majority of males were in the anterior two-thirds of the intestine. This difference was relatively consistent between individual fish hosts. Worms from different parts of the gut did not differ in length, so site segregation was not obviously related to worm growth or age. We found proportionally more males in the caeca when a larger fraction of the females were found there, suggesting mating opportunities influence gut distribution. However, this result relied on a single parasite infrapopulation and is thus tentative. We discuss how mating strategies and/or sexual differences in life history might explain why males and females occupy different parts of the burbot gut.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arto Tuomainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - E Tellervo Valtonen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Daniel P Benesh
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland;,Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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17
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Dines JP, Mesnick SL, Ralls K, May-Collado L, Agnarsson I, Dean MD. A trade-off between precopulatory and postcopulatory trait investment in male cetaceans. Evolution 2015; 69:1560-1572. [PMID: 25929734 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Mating with multiple partners is common across species, and understanding how individual males secure fertilization in the face of competition remains a fundamental goal of evolutionary biology. Game theory stipulates that males have a fixed budget for reproduction that can lead to a trade-off between investment in precopulatory traits such as body size, armaments, and ornaments, and postcopulatory traits such as testis size and spermatogenic efficiency. Recent theoretical and empirical studies have shown that if males can monopolize access to multiple females, they will invest disproportionately in precopulatory traits and less in postcopulatory traits. Using phylogenetically controlled comparative methods, we demonstrate that across 58 cetacean species with the most prominent sexual dimorphism in size, shape, teeth, tusks, and singing invest significantly less in relative testes mass. In support of theoretical predictions, these species tend to show evidence of male contests, suggesting there is opportunity for winners to monopolize access to multiple females. Our approach provides a robust dataset with which to make predictions about male mating strategies for the many cetacean species for which adequate behavioral observations do not exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P Dines
- Mammalogy, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, 90007.,Integrative and Evolutionary Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90089
| | - Sarah L Mesnick
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, California, 92037
| | - Katherine Ralls
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, 3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC, 20008
| | - Laura May-Collado
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, 109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, Vermont, 05405
| | - Ingi Agnarsson
- Department of Biology, University of Vermont, 109 Carrigan Drive, Burlington, Vermont, 05405
| | - Matthew D Dean
- Molecular and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90089
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Interference competition in entomopathogenic nematodes: male Steinernema kill members of their own and other species. Int J Parasitol 2014; 44:1009-17. [PMID: 25110292 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2014.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2014] [Revised: 07/01/2014] [Accepted: 07/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence of competition within and between helminth species, but the mechanisms involved are not well described. In interference competition, organisms prevent each other from using the contested resource through direct negative interactions, either chemical or physical. Steinernema spp. are entomopathogenic nematodes; they enter a living insect host which they kill and consume with the aid of symbiotic bacteria. Several studies have demonstrated intra- and interspecific competition in Steinernema, mediated by a scramble for resources and by incompatibility of the bacterial symbiont. Here we describe a mechanism by which male Steinernema may compete directly for resources, both food (host) and females, by physically injuring or killing members of another species as well as males of their own species. A series of experiments was conducted in hanging drops of insect haemolymph. Males of each of four species (Steinernemalongicaudum, Steinernemacarpocapsae, Steinernemakraussei and Steinernemafeltiae), representing three of the five phylogenetic clades of the genus, killed each other. Within 48h, up to 86% of pairs included at least one dead male, compared with negligible mortality in single male controls. There was evidence of intraspecific difference: one strain of S. feltiae (4CFMO) killed while another (UK76) did not. Males also killed both females and males of other Steinernema spp. There was evidence of a hierarchy of killing, with highest mortality due to S. longicaudum followed by S. carpocapsae, S. kraussei and S. feltiae. Wax moth larvae were co-infected with members of two Steinernema spp. to confirm that killing also takes place in the natural environment of an insect cadaver. When insects were co-infected with one infective juvenile of each species, S. longicaudum males killed both S. feltiae UK76 and Steinernema hermaphroditum. Wax moths co-infected with larger, equal numbers of S. longicaudum and S. feltiae UK76 produced mainly S. longicaudum progeny, as expected based on hanging drop experiments.
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The life cycle ofSclerocollum saudiiAl-Jahdali, 2010 (Acanthocephala: Palaeacanthocephala: Rhadinorhynchidae) in amphipod and fish hosts from the Red Sea. J Helminthol 2014; 89:277-87. [DOI: 10.1017/s0022149x14000042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe rhadinorhynchidSclerocollum saudiiAl-Jahdali, 2010 was found in the intestine of its type host,SiganusrivulatusForsskål & Niebuhr, 1775, a siganid fish permanently resident in a lagoon within the mangrove swamps found on the Egyptian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba (between 28°7′N and 28°18′N). Larval forms of this acanthocephalan (acanthors, acanthellae and cystacanths) were only found inMegaluropus agilisHoek, 1889 (Crustacea: Gammaridae), a benthic amphipod abundant on algae and seagrasses in the lagoon. So, this life cycle ofS. saudiiwas elucidated under semi-natural conditions: embryonated eggs ofS. saudiiwere directly ingested by the amphipod and hatched in its intestine; the released acanthor penetrated the intestinal epithelium in 12–18 h to reach the connective tissue serosa, where it remained for about 3 days, then penetrated the intestinal wall and remained attached to its outer surface for 4 days. It then detached and dropped free in the amphipod haemocoel and transformed into an oval acanthella, growing for 16 days to reach the cystacanth stage. The cystacanth at 46 days post-infection was infective to fish (excysted in its intestine as an active juvenile). Male and female juveniles reached maturity 17 and 23 days post-infection. Recently copulated females first appeared 26 days post-infection and all females seemed to be copulated at 28 days post-infection; partially and fully gravid females first appeared 31 and 35 days post-infection. Mature males and fully gravid females started to die off naturally 31 and 43 days post-infection and were totally expelled from the fish intestine by 42 and 52 days post-infection. The cycle was completed in 89 days and is similar to other known palaeacanthocephalan life cycles, but has its own characteristics.
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Lüpold S, Tomkins JL, Simmons LW, Fitzpatrick JL. Female monopolization mediates the relationship between pre- and postcopulatory sexual traits. Nat Commun 2014; 5:3184. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2013] [Accepted: 12/31/2013] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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Kvarnemo C, Simmons LW. Polyandry as a mediator of sexual selection before and after mating. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20120042. [PMID: 23339234 PMCID: PMC3576577 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The Darwin–Bateman paradigm recognizes competition among males for access to multiple mates as the main driver of sexual selection. Increasingly, however, females are also being found to benefit from multiple mating so that polyandry can generate competition among females for access to multiple males, and impose sexual selection on female traits that influence their mating success. Polyandry can reduce a male's ability to monopolize females, and thus weaken male focused sexual selection. Perhaps the most important effect of polyandry on males arises because of sperm competition and cryptic female choice. Polyandry favours increased male ejaculate expenditure that can affect sexual selection on males by reducing their potential reproductive rate. Moreover, sexual selection after mating can ameliorate or exaggerate sexual selection before mating. Currently, estimates of sexual selection intensity rely heavily on measures of male mating success, but polyandry now raises serious questions over the validity of such approaches. Future work must take into account both pre- and post-copulatory episodes of selection. A change in focus from the products of sexual selection expected in males, to less obvious traits in females, such as sensory perception, is likely to reveal a greater role of sexual selection in female evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotta Kvarnemo
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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Abstract
Females frequently mate with several males, whose sperm then compete to fertilize available ova. Sperm competition represents a potent selective force that is expected to shape male expenditure on the ejaculate. Here, we review empirical data that illustrate the evolutionary consequences of sperm competition. Sperm competition favors the evolution of increased testes size and sperm production. In some species, males appear capable of adjusting the number of sperm ejaculated, depending on the perceived levels of sperm competition. Selection is also expected to act on sperm form and function, although the evidence for this remains equivocal. Comparative studies suggest that sperm length and swimming speed may increase in response to selection from sperm competition. However, the mechanisms driving this pattern remain unclear. Evidence that sperm length influences sperm swimming speed is mixed and fertilization trials performed across a broad range of species demonstrate inconsistent relationships between sperm form and function. This ambiguity may in part reflect the important role that seminal fluid proteins (sfps) play in affecting sperm function. There is good evidence that sfps are subject to selection from sperm competition, and recent work is pointing to an ability of males to adjust their seminal fluid chemistry in response to sperm competition from rival males. We argue that future research must consider sperm and seminal fluid components of the ejaculate as a functional unity. Research at the genomic level will identify the genes that ultimately control male fertility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leigh W Simmons
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, , School of Animal Biology (M092), The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
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Kuntner M, Gregorič M, Zhang S, Kralj-Fišer S, Li D. Mating plugs in polyandrous giants: which sex produces them, when, how and why? PLoS One 2012; 7:e40939. [PMID: 22829900 PMCID: PMC3400571 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0040939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Males usually produce mating plugs to reduce sperm competition. However, females can conceivably also produce mating plugs in order to prevent unwanted, superfluous and energetically costly matings. In spiders–appropriate models for testing plugging biology hypotheses–mating plugs may consist of male genital parts and/or of amorphous covers consisting of glandular or sperm secretions. In the giant wood spider Nephila pilipes, a highly sexually dimorphic and polygamous species, males are known to produce ineffective embolic plugs through genital damage, but nothing is known about the origin and function of additional conspicuous amorphous plugs (AP) covering female genitals. Methodology We tested alternative hypotheses of the nature and function of AP in N. pilipes by staging mating trials with varying degrees of polyandry. No APs were ever formed during mating trials, which rules out the possibility of male AP formation. Instead, those females that oviposited produced the AP from a liquid secreted during egg sac formation. Polyandrous females were more likely to lay eggs and to produce the AP, as were those that mated longer and with more total insertions. Our further tests revealed that, in spite of being a side product of egg sac production, AP, when hardened, prevented any subsequent copulation. Conclusions We conclude that in the giant wood spider (Nephila pilipes), the amorphous mating plugs are not produced by the males, that repeated copulations (most likely polyandrous) are necessary for egg fertilization and AP formation, and that the AP represents a female adaptation to sexual conflict through prevention of unwanted, excessive copulations. Considering the largely unknown origin of amorphous plugs in spiders, we predict that a similar pattern might be detected in other clades, which would help elucidate the evolutionary interplay of various selection pressures responsible for the origin and maintenance of mating plugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matjaž Kuntner
- Institute of Biology, Scientific Research Centre, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia.
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Vatsalya V, Arora KL. Allometric Growth of Testes in Relation to Age, Body Weight and Selected Blood Parameters in Male Japanese Quail ( Coturnix japonica). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POULTRY SCIENCE 2012; 11:251-258. [PMID: 25243007 PMCID: PMC4166500 DOI: 10.3923/ijps.2012.251.258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The Japanese quail is a very valuable animal model for research in a variety of biological disciplines. The purpose of this study was to characterize and interrelate age-dependent testicular parameters with various blood constituents: blood glucose, plasma proteins and packed cell volume that are developing concurrently in the growing bird. Another objective of the study was to identify selective physioanatomical markers for predicting the testicular growth and the onset of sexual maturity. Male Japanese quail hatchlings were raised in temperature controlled brooders for up to 3 weeks of age under a constant light and then shifted to hanging cages in an air conditioned room set at ~73° F under a 14L: 10D lighting system and ad libitum access to feed and water. Starting d8, a group of 8-10 birds of uniform size and weight were selected randomly at 4-day intervals up to d52 of age for the project. The birds were weighed and blood sampled using the brachial vein and Blood Glucose (BGL), Total Plasma Proteins (PP) and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) levels were measured prior to euthanization. The testes were removed and measured for weight, length, width and Volume (VOL). All the testicular measurements were then correlated with age and body weight. The left testes were larger than the right testes and their differences were evident at d36 of age. Testicular measurements also reflected two distinct growth surges at d28, d32 and d36 of age. Combined Testes Weight (CTW) and Combined Testes Volume (CTV) revealed a strong positive correlation with PCV and PP and a negative correlation with Blood Glucose Level (BGL). Accordingly, these measurements could serve as reliable markers of growth rate and sexual maturation in male Japanese quail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vatsalya Vatsalya
- Department of Veterinary Science, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia, 31030-4313, USA
| | - Kashmiri L Arora
- Department of Veterinary Science, Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia, 31030-4313, USA
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Carvalho AR, Souza-Lima S, Tavares LER, Luque JL. [Relationship between biomass and parasite density of Mediorhynchus emberizae (Acanthocephala: Gigantorhynchidae) parasites of Paroaria dominicana (Passeriformes: Emberizidae) of the State of Bahia, Brazil]. REVISTA BRASILEIRA DE PARASITOLOGIA VETERINARIA 2008; 17:118-21. [PMID: 18823583 DOI: 10.1590/s1984-29612008000200012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2007] [Accepted: 05/15/2008] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
During the study of the metazoan parasites of Paroaria dominicana (Linnaeus, 1758), eight infrapopulations of Mediorhynchus emberizae (Rudolphi, 1819), were collected in the medium third of the small intestine, with parasite intensities ranging from one to ten specimens. Differences among the average values of the biomass, volume of the eggs, volume of the testicles and the parasite density of the infrapopulations were statistically tested in order to detect variations of these parameters in function of parasite density. Was observed that the acanthocephalans biomass increased with the volume of the intestine and also that the parasite density increased with the parasite intensity in the infrapopulations. It was verified that the increase of the parasite intensity was accompanied by the decrease of the mean biomass of the parasites. Decrease of the volume of the eggs was verified with the increase of the density and of the parasite intensity. The results of the present work could suggested the occurrence of density-dependent factors and the decrease of testicles volume and the biomass of the males with the increase of the parasite density in the infrapopulations of M. emberizae in the intestine of P. dominicana.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriano R Carvalho
- Curso de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil.
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Fromhage L, McNamara J, Houston A. Sperm Allocation Strategies and Female Resistance: A Unifying Perspective. Am Nat 2008; 172:25-33. [DOI: 10.1086/587806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Intraspecific density-dependent effects on growth and fecundity of Diplosentis nudus (Harada, 1938) Pichelin et Cribb, 2001 (Acanthocephala, Cavisomidae). Acta Parasitol 2008. [DOI: 10.2478/s11686-008-0043-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDuring June and July of 2007, a total of 130 specimens of the fish Rastrelliger kanagurta Cuvier (Teleostei, Scombridae), ranging between 19–31 cm in total length, were caught in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm El-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt, and examined for infections by acanthocephalans (65 fish/month). Of this number, 29 (22.30%) were slightly or heavily parasitized by the acanthocephalan Diplosentis nudus (Harada, 1938) Pichelin et Cribb, 2001 (Cavisomidae); no other helminth parasites were found in the intestine of R. kanagurta. Twenty-nine infrapopulations of D. nudus, ranging from 23–218 individuals were collected from the infected fishes. These infrapopulations were distributed in a well-defined fundamental niche along the intestine of R. kanagurta, where the distribution of male worms was not random with respect to female worms size and position and suggests that the male-male competition for access to female may be intense and may select for large males. No correlation between fish size and infrapopulation size was observed. Correlations between female-to-male sex ratio and infrapopulation size, numbers of females and their mean lengths, numbers of males and their mean lengths, mean female length and mean male length within infrapopulation were very strong, and clearly suggest that as the infrapopulation size increased, the number of females and their mean lengths decreased and the number of males and their mean lengths increased. Combination of these results strongly suggests density-dependent effects and competition between male worms. The relationship between the mean female length or size and the number of eggs within its pseudocoel was strongly positive; egg production by female worm significantly decreases as the infrapopulation size increases, suggesting density-dependent reduction in female worm fecundity. Tendency for the variability in male testes size was not significant in infrapopulations of D. nudus. All of these results are discussed.
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Inappropriate application of logarithmic transformations for allometric power functions of morphometric data on acanthocephalan worms. J Zool (1987) 2006. [DOI: 10.1017/s0952836901001352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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